Pelosi calls on Biden to reinstate COVID eviction ban after House fails to pass it: AOC calls her fellow Democrats 'cowards' and protest grows on steps of Capitol Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday again pressed the White House to extend the eviction moratorium after lawmakers failed to act Anger is growing among Democrats as thousands face eviction Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said her fellow Democratic House members are 'cowards' who needed to come back into town to vote on matter Democratic Rep. Cori Bush camped out on the Capitol steps for the third night in a row to protest the lack of action on the issue White House putting onus on states to distribute already allocated funding The $47 billion Emergency Rental Assistance program has, to date, disbursed only $3 billion By Emily Goodin, Senior U.S. Political Reporter For Dailymail.com Published: 18:23 BST, 2 August 2021 | Updated: 19:43 BST, 2 August 2021 4 Viewcomments Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday again pressed the White House to extend the eviction moratorium after lawmakers failed to act. Meanwhile anger is growing among Democrats as thousands of people face being kicked out their homes as rent becomes due at the first of the month. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Politico her fellow Democratic House members are 'cowards' who needed to come back into town and 'put their names next to a 'yes' or 'no' vote, or the White House needs to do a damn thing about [eviction moratoriums]. … At the end of the day, the emergency is here. And so we need to exercise all avenues.' And Democratic Rep. Cori Bush camped out on the Capitol steps for the third night in a row to protest the lack of action on the issue. 'Since Friday - when some colleagues chose early vacation over voting to prevent evictions - we've been at the Capitol. It's an eviction emergency. Our people need an eviction moratorium. Now,' Bush wrote on Twitter early Monday morning after spending her third night sleeping outside. Activists have been sleeping on the Capitol steps to protest the eviction moratorium lapsing Democratic Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York (center) and Cori Bush of Missouri (right) are among those protesting More than 15 million people live in households that owe as much as $20 billion to their landlords, according to the Aspen Institute. As of July 5, roughly 3.6 million people in the U.S. said they faced eviction in the next two months, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey. The federal eviction moratorium was put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in November. Pelosi has called on the CDC to extend it again. The speaker is putting the onus back on President Joe Biden's administration after the House failed to pass an extension. Biden asked Congress to extend the moratorium after officials decided the Supreme Court's June ruling meant the CDC couldn't unilaterally extend it. 'The purpose of the extension is to provide more time to expedite the distribution of the $46.5 billion that was allocated by Congress and that has long been transferred by the Administration to the states and localities,' Pelosi said in a letter to Democrats on Monday. She noted Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin would brief Democrats on the issue during a call on Tuesday. Distribution of rental assistance that Congress allocated in December and March has been painfully slow. The $47 billion Emergency Rental Assistance program has, to date, disbursed only $3 billion. Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday again pressed the White House to extend the eviction moratorium after lawmakers failed to act Democratic Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri has slept on the Capitol stairs three nights in a row Some Democrats expressed frustration that Biden asked Congress to extend the moratorium two days before it was set to expire - even though the Supreme Court ruling had come down a month before in June. On Friday, House Republicans blocked passing an extension by unanimous consent. Democrats, who hold a three-seat majority in the House, didn't have the votes in their own caucus to pass it either. Now administration officials are putting it on the states to distribute aid from COVID relief passed earlier this year more quickly and completely. 'We just need the states and localities to move quickly and effectively,' Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council, said on Fox News Sunday. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility